Sunday, January 3, 2010

Most Anticipated Albums of 2010

With the weather cold and freezing outside, the same could be said for new music releases at the beginning of the New Year. The music business usually takes the month of January off and plans their slate of new releases throughout the year. Well, here are some new releases that I’m looking forward to hearing.

1. Peter Gabriel “Scratch My Back” - This is his first album in seven years and is supposed to be a collection of cover songs ranging from Radiohead and Arcade Fire to The Kinks and Talking Heads.

2. R.E.M. has been working diligently on a new album that should see the light of day in 2010. Hopefully the band could conjure up some of the energy from their last album, which brought back their classic sound.

3. Johnny Cash “American VI: Ain’t No Grave” - Johnny Cash will be releasing volume 6 of his American Records albums. It will be made up of songs that were recorded between the passing of his wife June Carter and his own untimely death.

4. ZZ Top has been working with producer Rick Rubin on a new album that will bring back the bluesier sound of the band’s earlier albums.

5. Crosby, Stills & Nash have also been working with producer Rick Rubin on their upcoming covers album. The group premiered some of these songs on their past tour.

6. Dead Weather - One of the hardest working men in music, Jack White has been recording new songs with this, his latest super group, Dead Weather. He was a bit unhappy with their first album “Horehound”. White felt that the album was rushed and he feels that there is some unfinished business to accomplish.

7. Stone Temple Pilots will release their first album since 2001 and hope to recapture some of the power and glory from the band’s first 2 albums.

8. Kings of Leon - Rumor has it that the Kings of Leon are working on some new material in order to keep riding that wave of new found success.

9. U2 “Songs of Ascent” - When U2 went into the studio to record songs for last year’s “No Line on the Horizon”, the band realized that they had enough material for two albums. They kept the best songs together for “Horizon”. Hopefully we’ll be able to hear what the leftovers sounded like.

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – The band regrouped in October of ’09 to flesh out some song demos for a new album. But with the recent news of John Frusciante quitting the band, this may put a new album on the back burner.

Here are only 10 new albums that have peaked my interest and I'm looking forward to more.